Question Fractal Design Define R6 - Improving the temperatures

[DarriaNCZE]

Hi all,

I am seeking an advice regarding the improvement of my temperatures inside the case.

HW:

CPU - i7 9700K (turboboosting to 4,4 - 4,6 Ghz by itself)
Cpu Cooler - Noctua NH-D15
GPU - Evga RTX 2070 Super - mounted in standard position, not the vertical one
Fan layout:
2x 140mm stock fans in front
2x 120mm NOCTUA NF-S12B on the top
1x 140 mm stock fan in the rear

Load temperatures:
GPU - around 75C when front door is closed
GPU - around 70C when front door is open
CPU - 70 to 80C when front door closed
CPU - 65 to 72 when front door is open

These temperatures seem a little bit higher than I would expect, so I am thinking how I could improve this. Here are my ideas.

1. Buy high end 3x120mm fans and replace 2x140mm fans in the front, and removing the 2x120mm NOCTUA NF-S12B top fans
2. Buying an AIO and placing it to the top or to the front
3. Buying a high end 2x120mm fans and replacing NOCTUA NF-S12B

I don't really like having the front door open, because it's ruining the look of the case, so I would prefer finding a solution which would let me having the front doors closed.

And if you recommend replacing some of the fans, I am happy for recommended models. So far, I have been considering NOCTUA NF-A12x25 for example.

What do you think?

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[NightHawkRMX]

That case does appear to have very restricted airflow at the front, and no amount of fans can totally fix that, though some good fans can help. Fans don't get much better than a Noctua A12x25, so those are what I'd reccomend.

I would put 2, maybe 3 fans at the front as intake, 3 fans at top as exhaust, and one rear fan as exhaust

 

[Phaaze88]

Define R6
Front: 3x 120mm. NF-A12x25 is a good choice, but so is the NF-F12.
Top: None, but leave the top cover off. The NH-D15's fans draw air from up there on their own, and adding fans up there - whether intake or exhaust - can actually be detrimental.
Rear: IF the rear fan has weaker specs than the ones on the D15, I wouldn't use it. It could just be getting in the way.

 

[geofelt]

You have a very nice case and really, no heat issues.
I might test with removing the top 120mm exhausts.
They tend to deflect the airflow out the top instead of past the cooler and graphics card.

What is your tolerance for noise?
Your front intakes are 1000 rpm fans.
At the cost of added noise, you can buy some much stronger front intake fans.
140mm fans will move more air at lower rpm so I would favor them.
For example, noctua makes very good fans such as this 2000 rpm NF-A14:
https://www.newegg.com/noctua-nf-a14-ippc-2000-pwm-case-fan/p/N82E16835608047

You can buy the 3000 rpm version and plan on slowing the fan down ti get your best balance of noise vs, cooling.

 

[BogdanH]

I have Define R6 (AMD system) and I'm extremely happy with -just needed to say this.
It's known that Intel CPU's tend to operate at higher temperatures compared to AMD (at full load). In that sense I see your temps normal and safe. However, you didn't say how fast fans spin (at full load).
About R6 having restricted airflow.. yes, compared to "open" front case. Because side grills have more than enough openings and practially don't cause any airflow resistance. The biggest airflow obstruction is filter! -and filter is a must have.
I only use 2 front and 1 back fan (which I replaced with be Quiet fans) and all are directly connected to motherboard (so I can control each fan speed to my liking).
What I also did was, I removed all HDD brackets behind front fans. As they're U-shaped parts, they "disturb" air flow quite a bit in my opinion. Btw. top of PC is closed with solid panel -makes PC quieter and easier to clean dust. And that's it.
If it happens I would need more airflow (upgrading to hotter GPU, etc.), I would add single fan (as intake) at the bottom of PC case.
Just sharing my experience.

 

[Owterspace]

Use 120x38s or 140x38s

You can have all the static pressure and airflow.

 

[DarriaNCZE]

Thank you so much for feedback! I will probably buy stronger 140mm fans to the front, and I will remove the top fans, and we will see what happens

I know that those temperatures are fairly okay, but I was hoping I could overclock that i7 a little, but these temperatures are not leaving me any operating space.

 

[Phaaze88]

I know that those temperatures are fairly okay, but I was hoping I could overclock that i7 a little, but these temperatures are not leaving me any operating space.

By default, the motherboard supplies more voltage than the cpu needs, but it guarantees smooth, stable operation.
There may be more headroom than you think, once you get around to finding the lowest possible, yet stable, voltage settings.

 

[yargd]

Hi long term R6 owners, Do you get a lot of dust from the top if covered with the metal plate?

 

[BogdanH]

Hi long term R6 owners, Do you get a lot of dust from the top if covered with the metal plate?

None really. Ok, there's a gap between top cover and case, but gap is narrow enough for dust not to "fall" inside (when PC is turned off). If dust from top would be an issue, I would put some thin filtering material under top metal cover to "filter" the gap. Anyway, you shouldn't worry about that.